Apple launches iPhone Duo, its first foldable to rival the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold

[DragonSlayer101]

First look: Following years of fervent speculation, Apple finally unveiled its first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, at its 'Surprise and Shine' event in Cupertino, California. The company is betting big on its first foldable, with new CEO John Ternus calling it "the most transformational change to iPhone since the original."

The iPhone Duo arrives with two "Super Retina XDR" ProMotion displays, including a large 7.6-inch folding panel on the inside and a smaller 5.4-inch screen on the outside. Both are protected by Ceramic Shield 2 and offer 3000 nits of peak outdoor brightness. They will both support the updated USB-C Apple Pencil with a future software update.

On the hardware side, the Duo is powered by the A20 Pro SoC, which comprises a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple claims that compared to the A19 Pro, the new CPU and GPU are up to 20% and 40% faster, respectively, while being more power efficient. The Neural Engine reportedly offers 2x the compute power as the A19 Pro to run on-device AI models.

Built by TSMC on its 2nm node, the new chip incorporates a custom vapor chamber for improved thermal management.

Apple says that the new cooling solution makes the A20 Pro better than its competition at multitasking, gaming, and complex AI workloads. The company also claims that the new chip offers 35% better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro.

The Duo sports a 48MP Fusion ultra-wide main camera on the outside, paired with a secondary 12MP 2x optical telephoto camera. The main sensor supports 4K 120fps recording and 4K time lapse in Dolby Vision HDR. Additionally, there's a Center Stage camera on the front and an under-screen FaceTime camera on the inside for video calls.

The iPhone Duo is built out of Grade-5 titanium that adds structural rigidity and keeps the weight down. It also uses a 3D-printed hinge cover with a micro-blasted finish, offering a stark contrast to the mirror polish of the main frame. Apple also added antenna splits with ceramic fiber inserts to enhance the frame's rigidity.

The foldable brings back Touch ID with an old-school fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button. It can also be unlocked using Face ID and with the Apple Watch. The device uses Apple's in-house N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity, while the C2 cellular modem adds 5G mmWave support.

The Duo ships with iOS 27, but with several features designed specifically for the folding screen. One of the custom features is the Today View, which shows two Home Screens, including one with a vertically scrolling list of customizable widgets. Other changes include a redesigned Dynamic Island and a circular module on the status bar to show Wi-Fi, cellular strength, and battery information.

The iPhone Duo is available in Star White and Night Sky colorways, starting at $1,999 for the base $256GB model. Pre-orders begin October 16, with general availability from October 23.

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Apple launches iPhone Duo, its first foldable to rival the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold

 

[Megalomaniac]

My iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB was $1999.

I never pictured myself spending $2000 on a phone. I don't intent to upgrade till iPhone 20.

But due to the memory crisis, the iPhone 18 Pro Max 2TB demands $2500??
And the Duo 2TB demands $3199???

iPhone has somehow crossed the $3000 barrier. This is ridiculous.

I could understand if they started the duo at $2000 for 512 or 1TB, but this is just nasty work.

 

[LordVile95]

My iPhone 17 PRo Max 2TB was $1999.

I never pictured myself spending $2000 on a phone. I don't intent to upgrade till iPhone 20.

But due to the memory crisis, the iPhone 18 Pro Max 2TB demands $2500???

And the Duo 2TB demands $3199???

iPhone has somehow crossed the $3000 barrier.

This is ridiculous.

I could understand if they started the duo at $2000 for 512 or 1TB, but this is just nasty work.

It’s about the same cost as a fold 8 ultra, £2,600 for the duo at 1TB and 2400 for the Samsung. They’re novelty products and you pay novelty prices

 

[m4a4]

Well, that is certainly a wide and short phone. Samsung foldables at least had (for the most part) the form factor close to a normal phone. Are we sure they didn't mean iPad mini Duo?

I bet the sheep will still go out of their way to buy one, even if they don't think it's practical to use from day-to-day.

 

[NumberNine]

That is such an expensive and fragile thing to be walking around with in your pocket. I drop things sometimes. I should never own such a device. The design is impressive though. Waiting to see what YouTubers subject it to.

 

[LordVile95]

Well, that is certainly a wide and short phone. Samsung foldables at least had (for the most part) the form factor close to a normal phone. Are we sure they didn't mean iPad mini Duo?

They did point out that the “normal phone” layout makes the foldables clunky and awkward to use with poor aspect ratios for apps, films etc.

I bet the sheep will still go out of their way to buy one, even if they don't think it's practical to use from day-to-day.

I think it will sell better than the air and could prove to be practical, it’s not something I’d be interested in the first generation though.

 

[Biostud]

So if I understand the last picture, this is basically a glorified alarm clock?

 

[mgilbert]

My iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB was $1999.

I never pictured myself spending $2000 on a phone. I don't intent to upgrade till iPhone 20.

But due to the memory crisis, the iPhone 18 Pro Max 2TB demands $2500??
And the Duo 2TB demands $3199???

iPhone has somehow crossed the $3000 barrier. This is ridiculous.

I could understand if they started the duo at $2000 for 512 or 1TB, but this is just nasty work.

When you say you think it's ridiculous, you are not wong, so why do you keep buying them? I have a Samsung A36 that cost me less than $200 from Cricket. And guess what? It makes calls. It sends text messages. It surfs the internet... You don't have to pay four figures for a phone.

 

[p51d007]

When you say you think it's ridiculous, you are not wong, so why do you keep buying them? I have a Samsung A36 that cost me less than $200 from Cricket. And guess what? It makes calls. It sends text messages. It surfs the internet... You don't have to pay four figures for a phone.

But but but your "friends" will laugh at you if you don't have the latest iphone and you will be tossed out of your group.
THAT is the main reason you see EVERYONE buying these huge pickup trucks & SUV's. Gotta keep up with the Jones's. Same vehicles, same housing sub divisions, same clubs, same social circles.
Bunch of sheep.

 

[Loadedaxe]

Well, that is certainly a wide and short phone. Samsung foldables at least had (for the most part) the form factor close to a normal phone. Are we sure they didn't mean iPad mini Duo?

I bet the sheep will still go out of their way to buy one, even if they don't think it's practical to use from day-to-day.

Just like the Samsung sheep I am sure.

 

[Loadedaxe]

But but but your "friends" will laugh at you if you don't have the latest iphone and you will be tossed out of your group.
THAT is the main reason you see EVERYONE buying these huge pickup trucks & SUV's. Gotta keep up with the Jones's. Same vehicles, same housing sub divisions, same clubs, same social circles.
Bunch of sheep.

Well when you can afford one, we can all call you a sheep as well, yes?

 

[Jarenien]

Just like the Samsung sheep I am sure.

You're not a sheep when the product is actually good.